Personality evaluations are conducted to gather information about a person's current emotional well being and/or general psychological make-up.

Personality evaluations involve an in-depth interview and standardized psychological testing. In some cases, the evaluation may also include interviews with significant others (such as parents, spouses, or teachers), as well as a review of past records and relevant documents.

Standardized psychological tests are an integral part of the personality evaluation, as they are efficient tools for gathering objective information about a person. Both "objective" tests, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and "projective" tests, such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test may be utilized to develop a complete understanding of the person.

Personality evaluations are often requested in legal cases, when issue such as custody, guardianship, or competency are being considered, or any time information is required to further understand a person's psychological make-up.